Building construction



April 26, 1932. F. M. VENZIE 1,855,896

BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Filed Dec. 20, 1929 5 i F /fl Z l 9 g INVENTOR.

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BY 1W Patented Apr. 26, 1932 FREDERICK M. VENZIE, OF PHTLADELIPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA BUILDING CONSTRUCTION Application filed December 20, 1929. Serial No. 415,524.

This invention, generally stated, relates to a building structure and has more especial relation to means for supporting cementitious slabs as used in ceiling and wall construction, and has especial relation to the structure shown in my co-pending application Serial No. 326,453, filed December 17 1928.

The leading object of the present invention may be said to reside in the provision of means whereby unskilled labor may more rapidly and efiiciently erect ceiling and wall slabs of cementitious material, thereby to reduce building costs.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a structure of the character stated which not'only is entirely constructed of fire proofing material but is sound proof, very strong, and very cheap to erect.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide means for tying together adjacent slabs of cementitious material.

Other and further objects of the present invention reside in the provision of the general arrangement combination, and construction of parts for attaining the results sought by the foregoing objects.

The invention consists of the novel construction hereinafter described and finally claimed.

The nature, characteristic features and scope of the invention will be more fully understood from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming part hereof, and in which:

Fig. 1, is a view partly in section illustrating a ceiling and wall structure embodying the invention.

Fig. 2, is a view in perspective illustrating one of the tie-wires shown in Fig. 1.

For the purpose of illustrating my invention I have shown in the accompanying drawings one form thereof which is at present preferred by me, since the same hasbeen found in practice to give satisfactory and reliable results, although it is to be understood that the various instrumentalities of which my invention consists can be variously arranged and organized and that my invention is not limited to the precise arrangement and organization of the instrumentalities as herein shown and described.

Referring to the drawings in detail, the reference numeral 1 designates the'wall of a building. The reference numeral 2 designates a vertically disposed beam spaced apart from the wall 1, as clearly shown in Fig. 1, to provide an air space 3. 4 designates a horizontally arranged beam supported at its ends by the wall 1. The beam 4 is also supported by means of straps 5, which are supported from cross beams 6, which latter in turn are supported by hangers 7 The reference numeral 8 designates ceiling slabs which abut against the underside of the beams 4.

These slabs 8 are supported from the beams 4: by means of clips, best seen in Fig. 1. These clips comprise vertically arranged arms 9 provided at their tops with horizontally extended wings 10, and at their bottoms with horizontally extended wings 11, and intermediate of the wings 10 and 11 with other horizontal wings 12. The wings 10 which rest upon the tops of the beams 4c are cut away as at 13 so that the cut-away portion 13 may be snapped over the top of the beams 4 to effect a relatively tight joint. The centrally arranged or intermediate wings 12, which are arranged in opposed pairs, serve to provide jaws to accept the slabs 8. The ends of the wings 12 are rounded as at 14 so that fracture of the slabs 8, which usually are covered with asbestos paper, will not occur during an inserting period. It may be stated at this time that the ceiling slabs 8 are first erected and thereafter the wall slabs 15 are erected.

Adjacent the end walls of the building, clips are provided to support those ends of the ceiling slabs adjacent the wall slabs. Such a clip is shown in Fig. 1 and comprises a flat, horizontal portion 16 and a vertical portion 17. The part 16 of the clip as shown at the upper left hand side of Fig. 1 engages a beam 2 and the part 17 engages below and supports the inner end of a slab 8. At the bottom of Fig. 1 the same type of clip is employed, but in this case the part 16 is flush with the floor 19 and the clip is secured thereto by means of a nail 20 and the part 17 is nailed as at 21 to a wall slab 15. In the connection it may be remarked that the free end of the part 17 is curved as at 22 in order to prevent fracture of slabs 15, which like slabs 8 are usually covered with asbestos paper, when fitted to place. Adjacent slabs may have fitted therebetween the clip fully disclosed in my aforesaid patent application. Each slab 15 is apertured as at 27, see Fig. 1. Arranged for passage through these apertures 27 is the tie piece orwire shown in Fig. 1, but best seen in Fig. 2. This tie piece or wire comprises a member 28 which is free to move with respect to the, prongs. 29 so-thatwhen the member 28 is moved to parallelism with the prongs 29 itmay be inserted through the apertures 27 and the member 28 permitted to assume a vertical position, as is shown in Fig. 1, whereupon the prongs 29 may be drawn outwardly and twisted as at 30 with respect to an adjacent device, thereby securely holding the slabs in place.

As clearly shown in Fig.v 2, the tie piece consists of a section of wire doubled over upon itself to provide the parallel prongs 29 the inner ends of which are twisted together at to form the loop or eye 36. Having swivelled relation with the eye 86 is themember 28 which is also a single piece of wire bent centrally to provide the eye 37.

Having placed the ceiling and wall slabs in position, plaster 31 is added, whichis shown at the right hand side of Fig. 1. in full lines and by dashed lines at the left hand side of Fig. 1. Each of the clips described herein may be stamped from a single piece of metal and are fully set forth in my c0- pending application, Serial No. 326,453, filed December 17, 1928.

I am aware that the invention may be embodied in other specific forms without def parting from the spirit or essential attributes thereof, and I therefore desire the present embodiment to be considered in all respects as illustrative and not restrictive, reference being had to the appended claim rather than to the foregoing description to indicate the scope of the invention.

WVhat I'claim is: v

A tie-piece of the character stated calculated for use in pairs, each tie-piece comprising a single piece of relatively fine pliable wire doubled over upon itself to form parallel prongs the inner ends of which prongs are juxtaposed and twisted together to form a single loop, the outer ends of said prongs being arranged for twisted, interlocking engagement with parallel prongs of a companion tie-piece eXteriorly of a plaster-board independently of other fastening means, and a slot penetrating locking member comprising a single piece of coarse, relatively rigid wire the central portion of which member is bent to form an eye for co-operatively engaging the loop of said parallel prongs s0 signed my name.

FREDERICK M. VENZIE. 

